‘Braveheart’ Thales Leites inspired by William Wallace against Michael Bisping

Scottish icon William Wallace defeated an English army in 1297, and UFC middleweight Thales Leites uses him as inspiration for his upcoming bout in Scotland.

Fighting Michael Bisping in the main event of UFC Fight Night 72 at Glasgow’s SSE Hydro Arena, the Brazilian fighter finally gets the bout he always hoped for.

“Bisping fights in the UFC for years, we always fought in the same division, but our paths never crossed,” Leites told MMAFighting.com. “Bisping does interesting fights, he’s aggressive, and he’s a popular name in Europe. So it’s great that I got this fight, and that I’m fighting him in a main event in Europe.”

William Wallace didn’t become Leites’ idol when he signed a bout to compete in Scotland, though. Years ago, even before he fought Anderson Silva for the UFC gold in 2009, Leites tattooed a sword on his rib, with a Wallace quote over it.

“Every man dies. Not every man really lives.”

“I’m really happy that this fight is in Scotland, a place that I always dreamed about visiting for being a huge fan of ‘Braveheart’, movie that tells the story of William Wallace,” he said. “I believe the crowd will be on his side, but it will be special for me to fight there, and I hope I have their support.”

Bisping has bounced between wins and losses since 2012, while Leites enters the cage riding a five-fight winning streak with three stoppages under the UFC banner.

“He’s had wins and losses, but he lost to really tough opponents. And he’s beaten great names too,” Leites said. “I know he’s tough, but I believe a lot in my game. I will be aggressive, and I won’t let it go the distance. I don’t want to let this fight go to the fifth round. Bisping is used to five-round fights, but that’s not an issue. I’ve trained hard focused on that, and I’m ready.”

Leites posted a picture on his Instagram, promising to beat Bisping via submission in Glasgow, and that pissed off his opponent.

“I think that’s great, we are promoting the fight,” Leites said of Bisping’s video. “I wasn’t underestimating him or anything like that, but showing that I’m confident. When someone says they are going to win, it’s not disrespectful. I said I’m going to submit him and that’s confidence. He fired back, and that’s good, because we’re promoting this fight even more.”

A former title challenger, Leites is currently ranked at No. 10 in the middleweight division, believes the 185-pound division is tougher than when fellow Brazilian Anderson Silva was champion.

“The division is way tougher now,” he said. “There are some great names. (Chris) Weidman is the champion, but there are great guys getting closer already, like Luke Rockhold, ‘Jacare’ Souza, and Yoel Romero. In the top 15, I believe anyone can fight for the belt and win it one day. That’s great for the sport and for the division.”

Scottish icon William Wallace defeated an English army in 1297, and UFC middleweight Thales Leites uses him as inspiration for his upcoming bout in Scotland.

Fighting Michael Bisping in the main event of UFC Fight Night 72 at Glasgow’s SSE Hydro Arena, the Brazilian fighter finally gets the bout he always hoped for.

“Bisping fights in the UFC for years, we always fought in the same division, but our paths never crossed,” Leites told MMAFighting.com. “Bisping does interesting fights, he’s aggressive, and he’s a popular name in Europe. So it’s great that I got this fight, and that I’m fighting him in a main event in Europe.”

William Wallace didn’t become Leites’ idol when he signed a bout to compete in Scotland, though. Years ago, even before he fought Anderson Silva for the UFC gold in 2009, Leites tattooed a sword on his rib, with a Wallace quote over it.

“Every man dies. Not every man really lives.”

“I’m really happy that this fight is in Scotland, a place that I always dreamed about visiting for being a huge fan of ‘Braveheart’, movie that tells the story of William Wallace,” he said. “I believe the crowd will be on his side, but it will be special for me to fight there, and I hope I have their support.”

Bisping has bounced between wins and losses since 2012, while Leites enters the cage riding a five-fight winning streak with three stoppages under the UFC banner.

“He’s had wins and losses, but he lost to really tough opponents. And he’s beaten great names too,” Leites said. “I know he’s tough, but I believe a lot in my game. I will be aggressive, and I won’t let it go the distance. I don’t want to let this fight go to the fifth round. Bisping is used to five-round fights, but that’s not an issue. I’ve trained hard focused on that, and I’m ready.”

Leites posted a picture on his Instagram, promising to beat Bisping via submission in Glasgow, and that pissed off his opponent.

“I think that’s great, we are promoting the fight,” Leites said of Bisping’s video. “I wasn’t underestimating him or anything like that, but showing that I’m confident. When someone says they are going to win, it’s not disrespectful. I said I’m going to submit him and that’s confidence. He fired back, and that’s good, because we’re promoting this fight even more.”

A former title challenger, Leites is currently ranked at No. 10 in the middleweight division, believes the 185-pound division is tougher than when fellow Brazilian Anderson Silva was champion.

“The division is way tougher now,” he said. “There are some great names. (Chris) Weidman is the champion, but there are great guys getting closer already, like Luke Rockhold, ‘Jacare’ Souza, and Yoel Romero. In the top 15, I believe anyone can fight for the belt and win it one day. That’s great for the sport and for the division.”